Tag Archives: Middle East conflict

June 23, 2014 · 8:25 AM

The PCUSA’s Divestment Dilemma

The Presbyterian Church USA recently approved an initiative to divest stock holdings in companies allegedly profiting from Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.[1]

This decision, as well as others that were made at the 221st General Assembly held last week in Detroit,[2] demands a response from followers of Jesus and especially from Messianic Jews like myself – Jewish people who believe Jesus is the Jewish Messiah for all.

However, one needs to look at the divestment vote of the PCUSA holistically. When this is viewed as one decision among many, it is easier to see what is at the heart of this vote.

Reasons for the PCUSA’s Divestment

Let’s start with some good points. The 310 delegates who voted in favor (303 voted against) of the PCUSA divesting their stock holdings in three companies – Hewlett-Packard, Motorola Solutions and Caterpillar – probably did so with noble intentions.

Most of the delegates probably believed this symbolic gesture; removing about 21 million dollars in invested funds might cause Israel to reconsider its approach to the current conflict.

The PCUSA delegates who voted for the divestment measures believed their vote is an expression of Christian ethics, affirming the dignity of all humanity created in the image of God, and that true Christians are called to support the oppressed and withstand the oppressors. The assumption of course is that Israelis are genuinely oppressing Palestinians – an assumption that may be heartfelt, but naïve.

I would also assume that those who voted for divestment did so out of a sincere heart of love and compassion for Palestinians whom they believe are victims of Israeli aggression. The PCUSA also affirmed Israel’s right to exist. However, this is especially challenging today because of the decision by the Palestinian Authority to unite with Hamas, who persistently deny Israeli’s right to exist. Unfortunately, the PCUSA statement ignored the linkage between the Palestinian Authority and this known terrorist group.

I speak in many PCUSA churches, and believe that there are many sincere and devoted believers among the 1.8 million members of this great historic church body. However, I question whether or not the pro-Israel PCUSA voice is being heard, as so many have simply given up and left the denomination.

Flaws in the Rationale for Divestment

Let me suggest a few reasons why the PCUSA’s decision to divest is faulty.

First of all, the delegates have chosen to believe the Palestinian narrative of the conflict and therefore – despite the PCUSA’s claim that they have not sided with either Israel or the Palestinians – they have. The PCUSA has decided to accept the charges against Israel by the Palestinian side and have acted upon them. This includes measures taken by Israel in Gaza and hotbed areas of the West Bank to prevent further acts of terrorism. The profound role of terrorism has not even been addressed in the PCUSA decision to divest.

The PCUSA has also “paraded” a few left-wing Israeli peace activists to demonstrate that there are Jewish Israelis who agree with their position. According to the Times article,

Of more influence was the presence at the church’s convention all week of Jewish activists, many of them young, in black T-shirts with the slogan “Another Jew Supporting Divestment.” Many of them were with Jewish Voice for Peace, a small but growing organization that promotes divestment and works with Palestinian and Christian groups on the left.[3]

This effort to show Jewish support is a tactic practiced by the Palestinian media machine and has now been evidently adopted the PCUSA as well. Israel is a free country and dissent may freely be expressed there, as in the United States. The PCUSA should have asked an Israeli government official to speak, or at least had had someone representing the mainstream views of average Israelis. The event must be seen as heavily orchestrated towards persuading delegates to pass the divestment measures.

I just returned from Israel, where Palestinian spokespersons for Hamas and other similar groups reported that the three Israeli boys who have recently disappeared were not kidnapped, but are merely missing – though the evidence is virtually decisive that they were kidnapped and may have already been killed. The Palestinian media machine claims that the Israelis are using this as an excuse to “crack down on” the Palestinians.

Most PCUSA delegates have been influenced by a booklet produced by the anti-Israel lobby of the PCUSA entitled “Zionism Unsettled,” which perpetuates the most radical political viewpoints of the Palestinian media machine.[4] This document has been disavowed by many within the PCUSA as much too one-sided, yet it has been the major influence and provided the essential political perspective for the divestment decision.

Ultimately, one of the main reasons the vote passed at this General Assembly, despite failing to be approved in the past, is because many of those who supported Israel have already left the denomination because of a variety of issues.

The PCUSA’s General Departure from Scripture

Other issues were also affirmed at this General Assembly, besides divestment from the three companies. For example, the New York Times reported the following:

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted at its General Assembly on Thursday to change its constitution’s definition of marriage from “a man and a woman” to “two people,” and to allow its ministers to perform same-sex marriages where it is legal.

The vote giving discretion to ministers to marry gay couples takes effect on Sunday, at the close of the General Assembly.[5]

This issue has been more schismatic for the average PCUSA congregation than the divestment issue, but together these decisions speak to a trend. Viewing these decisions by the PCUSA General Assembly as aspects of one agenda will sober evangelicals who may have unwittingly embraced the divestment decision without understanding the underlying values moving the PCUSA leadership in this direction.

The PCUSA seems to be leaving its biblical moorings. Instead of allowing Holy Scripture to judge the trends and philosophies of our day, the opposite is happening – today’s trends and values are beginning to determine the ethical, moral and political decisions of the church.

Dangerous Results of the PCUSA’s Decision

As a Messianic Jew, I am also very concerned with the decisions of the PCUSA. I am very disturbed with the lack of understanding or commitment to the literal promises of God in the Old Testament to the Jewish people. In fact, a literal interpretation of the Old Testament would have caused the PCUSA to make a different decision on the issue of gay marriage as well.

Disregarding a more literal view of the Old Testament can easily lead God’s people along the path of moral relativity and spiritual decline, as when we spiritualize God’s commandments, we become rudderless boats navigating the turbulent rivers of discipleship in today’s world.

I grieve over the increment general turn of the PCUSA from a heartfelt concern for the spiritual welfare of the Jewish people to the current loss of evangelistic zeal for Jewish people. In fact, in the first half of the 20th century, the Presbyterians – which then included a number of more conservative groups that have since split from the larger body – were active in Jewish missions and believed that reaching Jewish people for Jesus was important. The Home Mission Board of the Presbyterian Church at the time supported dozens of workers among the Jewish people and Neighborhood Houses that were funded as Centers for Jewish outreach.

The PCUSA of today do not seem to care how these politically-driven decisions might impact the eternal fate of Jewish people. But perhaps the leaders of the PCUSA have stopped caring about this a long time ago?

The PCUSA must understand that even if a few liberal Rabbis or Jewish community leaders support their decision, the vast majority of Jewish people – my people – will view their divestment decision as one of a long list of Christian acts against the Jewish people. It makes me heartsick to see this happen again, as it will decrease the willingness of Jewish people to listen to the Gospel. Why should my people be interested in a faith that has made a politically-driven decision against the Jewish homeland?

I will have a lot of explaining to do. Dear PCUSA leaders, you could have handled this better!

Notes:

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/21/us/presbyterians-debating-israeli-occupation-vote-to-divest-holdings.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

[2] http://www.religionnews.com/2014/06/20/prebyteriansdivestment/

[3] IBID

[4] http://store.pcusa.org/2646614001

[5] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/20/us/presbyterians-vote-to-change-definition-of-marriage-to-two-people.html?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=RelatedCoverage&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article

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Filed under Anti-Semitism, Boycotts against Israel, Christ at the CheckPoint, Israel, Judaism, Middle East

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March 21, 2014 · 1:31 PM

Dispelling Myths About Christians Who Support Israel

There have been a number of conferences, articles and events held recently about the Israel-Palestinian crisis that unfortunately promote myths and untruths about those of us who believe the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people by virtue of God’s covenant with the Patriarchs.

As always, there are dedicated and godly believers on both sides of these issues and our posture must always remain respectful in spite of deeply-held differences. However, we must also be honest with one another.

I usually try to remain positive and to keep the dialogue constructive, but this is becoming increasingly difficult. There are a growing number of untruths being promoted in the debate, and I am sorry to say that the rhetoric is also becoming harsher in tone.

This is why I want to take a moment and try and shed more light than heat on five of these critical untruths in the hopes that our dialogue will remain friendly, although it may be passionate. We must seek the truth and always treat each other in a way that honors the Lord. This can only happen when we respond to one another in love and clarity.

Myth #1 – Christians who love Israel do not care about Arabs, Muslim or Palestinians

Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of the Christians I know who support Israel do so because they believe the Bible, which includes John 3:16 – that God sent His son to die for the whole world. This includes Jews, Arabs, Muslims, and all nations and religious groups on the face of the earth. Most of us who support Israel and the Jewish people have a sincere love and compassion for the peoples of the Middle East.

Arguing that Christians who love Israel do not care about Arabs is a straw man argument, overly simplistic, naïve and untrue. Believing that God gave the land to the Jewish people does not mean that one automatically lacks compassion or concern for Palestinians and many others.

Myth #2 – Christians who believe that modern Israel is the fulfillment of prophecy believe that the government of Israel “can do no wrong”

This is also patently untrue. Personally, I do not know any Jewish person or Christian who believes that any government “can do no wrong.” This is once again a straw man argument designed to bolster a more radical fundamentalist Muslim narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We believe the land belongs to the Jewish people because it was promised to the chosen people in God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3, 15:18-21, 26:3-5) and reiterated throughout the remainder of the Bible. We also believe that the long-awaited kingdom of God is coming, and the Messiah will reign upon His rightful Davidic throne. Only then will we witness a perfect government.

You might take a moment and go to videos.chosenpeople.com for the messages from our conference, The People, the Land and the Future of Israel for detailed biblical teaching on these topics.

Myth #3 – Christians Who Believe the Land Belongs to the Jewish People Unfairly Favor the Jewish People Over the Palestinians

Of course there are fringe “believers” on every side of an issue, and certainly this is true of Israel’s Christian supporters. It is perhaps less true today than in previous years amidst the euphoria of the formation of the state of Israel. However, many of those who are critical of Christian supporters of Israel do not believe that God granted the deed to the Land of Israel to the Jewish people. Therefore, any support for Israel is deemed “over the top” and “imbalanced.” The biblical teaching on land ownership seems to be getting lost in the shuffle of our varied narratives.

Can people be unfair? Of course – we are all sinners and we need to become more like Yeshua, filled with His love and compassion for all! As a Jewish believer I have felt the sting of anti-Semitism and know from first-hand experience that prejudice is hateful and destructive. We must ask God to cleanse our hearts of all prejudice and for the strength to treat others in ways that please Him.

However, it is unfair for enthusiastic support of Israel as a Jewish homeland, based upon an understanding of the Bible, to be deemed anti-Palestinian. This is indeed prejudice.

As Reb Tevya said in Fiddler on the Roof, “Next time choose somebody else!” It was not man’s idea to choose the Jewish people and give them a Land – it was God’s. Supporting Israel’s claim to the Land is not a question of fairness or unfairness! It is affirming God’s choice and celebrating and supporting His plan.

God regularly makes promises of blessing and judgment to specific groups of people. He even specified future blessings for Israel, Egypt and even Assyria:

In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance” (Isaiah 19:24-25).

Specific promises to specific people and nations are common throughout the Bible. This does not indicate favoritism, as God is fair and just. Yet it does demonstrate that God treats different groups differently according to His holy purposes.

Myth #4 – Jewish people do not yet have a right to the Land because they have not recognized Jesus as Messiah

Clearly, the majority of Jewish people alive today have not yet come to know Jesus as Messiah. If this were true – I would be blessedly and happily unemployed. However, our God of grace did not promise the land to the Jewish people on the basis of their deserving it, any more than the salvation we enjoy was earned (Eph. 2:8-9).

God never rescinded the covenant He made with Abraham, and that sacred agreement endures from generation to generation. The Jewish people have a divine right to the land at all times. God gave the land to the Jewish people as a gift.

Thus, Jewish ownership of the Land is always available to the Jewish people based upon the covenant God made with the Patriarchs, but peace will not come until the Prince of Peace reigns (Isaiah 9:6-7).

We now await the rest of the story as, according to the Bible, the Holy Land will experience the zenith of Shalom (peace) when the Jewish people turn to Jesus and He returns to reign as king (See Zechariah 12:10, Romans 11:25–29 et al.) In that day the nations of the world will join in the celebration as well! (Zech. 14:16-19)

Myth #5 – Jewish people lost their election and right to the land when they rejected Jesus

This is a basic tenet of what we called replacement theology. It goes like this – the Jewish people rejected Jesus, so God rejected the Jewish people – the Church then is the new Israel and has replaced Israel. Therefore, all the promises of God to the Jewish people are fulfilled in the Church. As a result, the promise of the land of Israel has been taken away from the Jewish people and can no longer be taken literally!

My response to this is to simply quote the Apostle Paul, who wrote in Romans 11:28-29.

From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Does this sound to you like God has rejected the Jewish people? Absolutely not!

If we begin our discussion by believing that God gave the Land of Israel to the Jewish people, then we can discuss the ways in which this might be effectuated peaceably and fairly.

On the other hand, if we do not believe the Jewish people have a divine right to the Land, then the discussion is really of a different nature. All we have left to talk about is politics and our mutual narratives and how we might live as believers in spite of our very deep differences. Another good discussion! Either way, the Scriptures reminds us to Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you” (Psalm 122:6).

Our fervent prayers for the crisis can only help and lead us to work together towards the greater end of proclaiming the Gospel, so that individual Jewish people and Palestinians come to know Jesus as their Messiah.

This gives peace a chance!


Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict:
What the Headlines Haven’t Told You

Going beyond media images for an in-depth look at the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, this book places the “crisis that never ends” in its scriptural, historical, and prophetic contexts.

Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict challenges the reader to think biblically as we stand with Israel in “praying for the peace of Jerusalem.” By Dr. Michael Rydelnik, professor of Jewish Studies at Moody Bible Institute.

Purchase at the Chosen People Ministries Online Store

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December 26, 2013 · 11:35 AM

Should Christian Schools Allow Jesus to Teach? After all – He is an Israeli

December 26, 2013

 

On December 4, 2013, the American Studies Association, a small but well-regarded and influential force on many university campuses voted to boycott Israeli universities. [1] The Washington Post described their actions as follows,

THE AMERICAN STUDIES Association, a group of about 5,000 scholars devoted to the interdisciplinary study of U.S. culture and history, has called for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions…as a way to protest Israeli “state policies that violate human rights” of Palestinians, including academic freedom for scholars and students. The resolution drew support of two-thirds of the 1,252 association members who voted. The boycott is largely symbolic; it’s also terribly misguided.[2]

The measure, recommended by the Association’s Board of Directors, approved the action and the full group of scholars voted to affirm the Board’s decision.

Their decision has now been condemned by a number of schools and both Brandeis and The University of Pennsylvania have dropped their membership in the association.

According to a report in Tablet magazine,

Harvard and Yale, along with a host of other universities, public officials, and journalistic outlets, have condemned and rejected the American Studies Association’s academic boycott of Israel.[3]

 

Further, the report claims,

In total, 26 schools have thus far rejected the ASA boycott in the days following its passage.[4]

This latest measure against Israel may be viewed as “flowing in the same stream” as the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) Movement which responded to the Israel/Palestinian crisis by advocating an array of economic and political actions designed to arouse the sympathies of the global community for the Palestinian cause by tarring Israel with the same brush as the now defunct Apartheid regime of South Africa.[5]

This is just another effort among many by those who are anti-Israel and pro- Palestinian, but it comes this time from a group that does not usually take a position on political and social issues in other countries.

Former Harvard president Lawrence Summers said on the Charlie Rose show,

My hope would be that responsible university leaders will become very reluctant to see their universities’ funds used to finance faculty membership and faculty travel to an association that is showing itself not to be a scholarly association but really more of a political tool. [6]

As a Messianic Jew and an Evangelical, I am deeply concerned as well about the actions of the ASA.

The boycott is politically driven and naïve as the abuses of human rights and restriction of academic freedom in other countries are far more heinous.  In fact, Israel’s state of academic freedom was noted as “great” by the ASA’s.[7]

As the Washington Post writes,

Have the scholars overlooked the cries for help from Cuban dissidents bravely standing up to the Castro brothers, demanding freedoms — and suffering beatings and arrest almost every week? Do they condone the decision of a judge in Saudi Arabia who has just sentenced a political activist to 300 lashes and four years in prison for calling for a constitutional monarchy?[8]

Perhaps the following statement from the ASA resolution will make it clear that they are playing partisan politics and not seeking the academic good of the institutions they serve.

It is resolved that the American Studies Association (ASA) endorses and will honor the call of Palestinian civil society for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.  It is also resolved that the ASA supports the protected rights of students and scholars everywhere to engage in research and public speaking about Israel-Palestine and in support of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.[9]

This is intensified in the following statements, which the ASA wrote to the leaders of their member academic institutions regarding the resolution:

The resolution understands the boycott as limited to a refusal on the part of the ASA in its official capacities to enter into formal collaborations with Israeli academic institutions, or with scholars who are expressly serving as representatives or ambassadors of those institutions (such as deans, rectors, presidents and others), or on behalf of the Israeli government, until Israel ceases to violate human rights and international law.

The proposed resolution expressly DOES NOT endorse a boycott of Israeli scholars engaged in individual-level contacts and ordinary forms of academic exchange, including presentations at conferences, public lectures at campuses, and collaboration on research and publication. U.S. scholars are not discouraged under the terms of the boycott from traveling to Israel for academic purposes, provided they are not engaged in a formal partnership with or sponsorship by Israeli academic institutions. The academic boycott of Israeli institutions is not designed to curtail dialogue. Rather, it emerges from the recognition that these forms of ordinary academic exchange are often impossible for Palestinian academics due to Israeli policies.[10]

After reading the above, it is evident that the ASA has taken it upon itself to act as both judge and jury. They have overstepped their mandate and used their academic organization as a political weapon rather than as an instrument designed for the greater pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

This is further revealed in a quick review of their statement of purpose found in the by laws of the ASA.

ARTICLE I: Name and Object

Sec. 1. The name of this society shall be the American Studies Association

Sec. 2. The object of the association shall be the promotion of the study of American culture through the encouragement of research, teaching, publication, the strengthening of relations among persons and institutions in this country and abroad devoted to such studies, and the broadening of knowledge among the general public about American culture in all its diversity and complexity.[11]

Again, the ASA has stepped beyond their stated mission to advance American Studies.  Perhaps the question to ask of the ASA is why?  To what end?  And whose agenda is really driving the actions of the ASA?

It is my hope that our Evangelical Christian community will take a public stand against these measures by the ASA. Evangelical Christian schools have participated in conferences and programs organized by the ASA and should follow suit with those secular academic institutions by protesting this resolution and taking a stand for academic freedom, authentic justice, and fair play.

I like the statement by the editorial board of the Washington Post and I believe this is the type of attitude we should foster, especially as Jesus’ peacemakers:

The American Studies Association would have more impact by finding a way to engage deeply with Israelis and Palestinians, perhaps with scholarly conferences and exchanges, rather than by punishing Israel with a boycott.[12]

I am hoping that our Evangelical Christian schools will follow suit and join with the growing number of US schools that believe the ASA has crossed a line and that it’s actions will lead to an increase in conflict rather than peace.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

[4] IBID

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Filed under American Studies Association, Birthright Israel, Boycotts against Israel, Christ at the CheckPoint, Christian School, Christian University, Israel, Judaism, Messianic Jewish, Middle East

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